|| Highest Ranking in Historical Fiction: 286 ||
When Clarisse Barnes arrives at the Topkapi Palace she is unaware of what her future holds.
However a chance encounter with Kosem Sultan's begins Clarisse's journey from being a slave to becoming one...
Our captors weren't bad but did hit the women if they misbehaved, because I didn't understand their language I often got scolded but luckily then never hit me. Then after a day or two I was assigned to a woman name Angela, who spoke both English and Turkish. Angela was also captured like me and had no family to yearn for. But unlike me she had lost her will to live. Despite the pessimism, we quickly became friends and whilst she taught me how to speak Turkish I taught her how to become stronger. Since the death of my parents she had become my first confidante and I hers.
However, we got separated when our capturers shifted us to two different ships. Angela ad I had gotten a chance to say our final goodbyes before we were separated for good, promising that we would remain good friends even if we met in another life.
I was bought to the Topkapi Palace, I was a large palace with different domes made out of marbles and jewels and what not, we were held to the harem (as they called it.) There the servants that spoke fluent Turkish, started inspecting the girls and forwarding them to go to another room. Though I did catch some of their words, I struggled to keep up with what they were saying. The stout woman who was inspecting us suddenly asked me something which I didn't understand.
"What?" I asked.
She then commanded me something but I was not catching what she said, damn these people spoke too fluently. However, unlike my captors the woman named Jannat didn't have the patience to deal with my struggle.
She questioned me something in Turkish. I suddenly blurted in English, "I don't speak Turkish." She said something to me slowly, before I could tell her again that I didn't speak Turkish, the stout fair woman with a deep scar on her face looked at me with the most angry look in her eyes and said something with contempt before, without warning grabbing my hair and screamed some abuse at me that I had understood because I had picked up in the captors presence. She let go of my hair and slapped me hard on my face that it sent me flying back on the floor. I was able to save myself from the fall but it hurt badly. Being freed for six months from my relative's abuse I had forgotten how much getting slapped hurt. But I had not forgotten the promise I had made myself six months ago, the promise that I would rather die than let anyone touch me again. So when she asked me to stand up, I quickly scanned the entire room to find a weapon to defend myself when I noticed the knife on the Jannat's belt, it was hidden by her coat but the handle was unmistakably that of a knife. I did get up but when she tried to reach for my hair again, this time I grabbed her knife and pointed it towards her. I must have shocked her because she fell back.
"Do not touch me." I screamed in English.
I pointed the knife at everyone and slowly began heading towards the door, everyone was trying to coax me in their native language. I began realizing as I reached the door that I had no plan and that this whole thing was going to fall miserably on my face, but my gut kept telling me keep to get out into the hall. I had made it out of the door and into the hall when suddenly a guard came into the landing and announced, "Attention, Kosem sultan is going to be present."
All the servants including Jannat, bowed their head down and suddenly out of the corner a young woman emerged. She was dressed lavishly in a blue gown wearing beautiful earrings, a crown and the woman herself was no less a beauty, she had long black luscious hair, a seductive smile and fair skin.
When she saw me, she suddenly stopped with a confused look on her face; she turned towards Jannat and asked something in their native language. Jannat began replying nervously. At this point, my gut started screaming, 'Tell her what was happening.'
Stirring up my courage and the little Turkish that I knew I said, "She hit me I don't speak Turkish. "
The young woman's attention turns towards me and I again repeat, "No speak Turkish, she hit me."
The stout woman at this point went up in flames and was charging at me whilst cursing at me, and I went in my defensive position at this point, when suddenly the young woman signaled her to stop and she asked me what language I spoke enunciating her words. In broken Turkish I replied that I spoke English.
"English? That's good. Now tell me girl why are you causing such a racket?" she asked suddenly. I was quite taken back by the fact that the beautiful woman spoke such fluent English. Gathering all my courage I began.
"Your Excellency, I have no wish to harm or disturb the peace of your kingdom nor do I wish to harm anyone here. However since I have arrived to your palace I have been mistreated and abused not because I have misbehaved or spoken out of turn rather because I simply couldn't understand the language. Even the soldiers and the traders who I was sold to did not mistreat as badly as I have been treated since I have arrived here. It is not my fault I cannot speak your tongue. It is not my fault that I was sold here and was picked by your servants. So why do I get abused for a sin I have not committed?
The beautiful woman stared at me for a while before turning towards the woman named Jannat and said something to her in Turkish. I watched this scene nervously. The beautiful woman started approaching me and took out her hand and indicated towards the knife.
"You say that you do not wish to disturb the peace of this kingdom? Prove it by giving me the knife."
I looked at Jannat nervously and then back at the beautiful woman. She smiled reassuringly, I handed her the knife. Not because I trusted her but because I had lost the fear to die a long time back.
After taking back the knife from me the woman gave it to one of her guards and calmly told me that she had told Jannat to arrange me a teacher who knew both the language and could teach me and that Jannat would not raise her hand on either me or any other girl. I thanked her graciously. But before leaving the scene she grabbed my arm and whispered in my ear.
"If next time you ever do anything like this again, I will have your head."
I turned towards her calmly and replied, "Teach me your language and your customs and I will never cause trouble and be your most loyal servant."
She raised her eyebrow almost saying 'oh really?' Then she let go of my hand ushered Jannat to take me and ordered everyone else to get back to work and she continued again on her path and I on mine.
Our paths that had met for such a brief time period, unbeknownst to me at that time, were fated to meet again.
